Luka Bloom - who was born into a famous Irish musical family as Barry
Moore - is now in his 50s, but still has the power to reinvent himself. He's
just spent a year creating his new album, Tribe, with fellow Irishman Simon
O'Reilly, and in it Luka's edginess and tension have dissolved into a much
more spacious and atmospheric landscape.

While Tribe features all original songs, Luka isn't adverse to performing
his own versions of other songwriter's material. "I've just taken on a
Kylie Minogue song - Can't Get You Out of My Head. When you are a solo
singer-songwriter with drums and guitar, it's very easy for people to put
you into a neat little box, hidden away under 'Irish folk' in the back of
the record store, and I've always loved the idea of taking on songs that
people wouldn't expect. Just to try and shake the perception that people
might have of where you belong - break down the borders. I just love the
idea of going into different areas of music and stripping away all of the
glitz, and stripping away all of the effects and stripping a song down to
it's bare essentials and seeing can it hold up? If the song is any good, it
will."

While Luka may not like being filed under 'Irish folk', he's still very
proud of his Irish heritage. "I live in Ireland and I'm quite happy, very
happy that I'm an Irish man. I think there's a lot of Irishness in my songs,
but I never wanted to travel the world as somebody whose primary profession
was the fact that they were Irish. I always felt that somehow that
phenomenon can often take away from the work and take away from the songs
and for me, my working life rises and falls on the strength of the songs.
I'd like to think that my songs can be heard and enjoyed by people of many
different nationalities."

He might be a proud Irishman, but Luka draws the line at over-the-top
Irishness. "I think the Australian-Irish handle the whole thing much more
graciously than is done in America. I mean I don't think you paint rivers
green in Australia, which they do in Chicago on St Patrick's Day and serve
up green spaghetti. I find it all a bit nauseous, to be honest with you."

Ballarat and South West Vic mornings
By Stephen Martin and Megan Connellan
Part 1 :: March 12-16, 2007

Bloom in Port Fairy
After a huge turnout to his performances in Port Fairy reknowned
Irish folk musician Luka Bloom speaks with Megan Connellan
about his music and his first trip to the Port Fairy Folk Festival.MP3 > www.abc.net.au/southwestvic/storiess1873892.htm

Planet Radio
World’s First Environmental RadioPlanet Radio 88fm is the world’s first environmental radio service based in Brisbane Queensland, Australia.www.planetradio.com.au

12th March 2007 - Jan Nary interviews and music with Luka Bloom
The doyen of Folk Music in Australia speaks with the incredibly talented Luka Bloom.
Listen to the whole interview and there’s some performance from Luka in there too.
Songs: City in Chicago and Gypsy Music (from Innocence)MP3 > www.planetradio.com.au/musicinterviews.html

When touring Australian in 2005 Luka said:
"I really love coming to Australia. I think there’s a deep empathy between
Australians and the Irish, something hard to define, but probably evident
within our similar, self-effacing sense of humour. I do always feel at home there."

Luka Bloom is playing at the National Theatre tonight, and next Wednesday (14th March)
and at the Port Fairy Folk Festival this weekend

His new album Tribe is distributed by Shock.

Live music played this morning by Luka Bloom:City of Chicago and No Matter Where You Go, There You Are

The gorgeous and sweet Irish musician Luka Bloom, is touring Australia right now. After a long break
from playing live he started his antipodean trip in Perth where he caught up with
ABC presenter Russell Woolf.

'No Matter Where You Go, There You Are' (from 'Innocence')Live in studio: Interview with Luka Bloom and live performance of 'City Of Chicago'

This series is presented by the South African Ambassador to Ireland Melanie Verwoerd
whose term of office officially ends in July of this year. It is a celebration of all facets of Ireland's
multicultural society in 2005. It looks at the people, the music, the stories, the poetry, the art,
as well as the many festivals taking place throughout the summer all over Ireland
The series introduces to the listeners the many and varied group which have emerged
over the last number of years as Ireland has become a truly multicultural society.

Words and Music from Studio A - 12 May 2006
Luka Blooms latest CD, 'Innocence,' stands out as one of the best of his career,
and he performs a few of the songs during a conversation with City Folk Sunday Breakfast
host, John Platt.

Take Five - 05 June 2006
A master of covers tunes, Luka Bloom talks with WFUV's John
Platt about a new record of his own songs, called 'Innocence'.

"I had the opportunity to interview him on the phone shortly before the show (Knitting Factory, NYC, 26 June 2004) and he gave some
great insights into the new songs, his new style of playing and what lies on the road ahead..."

"It's very healthy to live in Dublin if you're gonna play a lot of music
because they have no respect for rock stars in Dublin and so you can't be a
rock star in Dublin actually. It's an Irish spirit that brings you back to earth..."

I'll Walk Beside You
Holy Ground
Ciara
Gemma Hayes sings in the International Bar
Don't Be So Hard On Yourself
flute playing by Luka's nephew Conor Byrne
You Couldn't Have Come At A Better Time
I Need Love
Rescue Mission
www.omroep.nl/nps/tv/2meter/98/0930.html
[Real Audio Player]